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This will be 86-year-old Leonard Skoog’s first time to see the World War II memorial. He enlisted in the Navy when he was 17.

“I live kind of a quiet life since then, and all of a sudden we’re meeting people and enjoying it. It’s great,” Skoog said.

For Fred Small, a Vietnam veteran, the recognition is also sweet.

“I find myself receiving a lot of compliments now, while back in (the) 1970s I really was looked at as one of 'those guys.' Kind of hurt,” Small said.

Small said lack of support for the Vietnam War left many veterans feeling forgotten. Events such as this, he said, are heartwarming.

“Everybody is pretty excited about making this happen,” said Earl Morse, who organized the trip through Honor Flight.

Morse said the nonprofit has flown more than 100,000 veterans from across the country to see the D.C. memorials.

The organization relies on community donations and fundraisers.

“School kids at the Vinalhaven School, they held a lasagna dinner,” Morse said.

The veterans will stay in Washington until Sunday to tour the memorials. Organizers said this is the first group of Maine vets to participate in the program. The goal, they said, is for all Maine veterans to have the experience.

“I’m proud to walk around and talk about it,” Small said. “And people ask me what it was like, and I think it’s important today for, especially young people, to understand that the war is not anything that’s glamorous and I’d like to pass on that feeling that I have about it.”